As I’ve mentioned before, we’re under contract on a new (to us) house in the suburbs of Kansas City. Spending another summer in this poorly insulated house with no yard motivated us to quickly find another place to live. The downside? We’re bogged down by a lease until the end of September. Needless to say, we’ve been doing our darndest to find new tenants for the rental.

This challenge has done wonders for my outlook. First off, it’s completely distracted me from my anger over the budget nonsense in Washington. Secondly, and more importantly, it’s been fun getting the house ready for prospective tenants. After having lived here almost a year, this place looks great. Sure, it’s still riddled with holes in the wall (and floor), random odors

The clear, shiny kitchen sink

emanating from the basement, and a lovely draft bringing the outdoors in, but it’s calm. And clean.

Our landlord had posted a bare-bones ad on Craigslist almost a month ago, and no one had come to see the house. So we took matters into our own hands and composed a new ad complete with pictures. Within an hour, someone called to make an appointment to see the house. And it was the *right* kind of tenant–that is, someone used to living in an historic home with lovely details and…well…quirks. You don’t want someone expecting a brand new builder grade cookie cutter house. Not sure if she’ll take the house, but I feel good knowing we’ve got it ready for showings. And hope to keep it that way.

All this work has got me thinking. Should I make an effort at the new house to keep it “show-ready”? I’m not talking about making it beige and blah–ahem, Sabrina Soto, not everyone likes that stuff–it’s more that having a clear kitchen makes me want to cook more. And then clean up. My eye twitches less, my smile is more sincere, my gas is less stinky…okay, that’s dumb. But it definitely keeps my mind calmer. And that’s what I’m hoping for these days, right?

I am enjoying my house right now. When I walk around, my blood pressure doesn’t rise, I’m not annoyed by clutter, I am loving my children even more than usual.

Did I mention we’re moving soon?

Maybe *that’s* the reason for my euphoria. I know that time is limited here. But that’s not all.

My house is relatively clean.

We’ve been purging left and right. I got rid of some large children’s toys that the kids aren’t that interested in. The footrest I’ve been meaning to reupholster finally went to charity. All those cookbooks are soon to be in the hands of someone else.

I had to let go of the idea of Someday. As in, Someday I’ll use that Dinner Parties for Dummies book. Or Someday, that footrest will look awesome and not be spilling out straw. Or Someday, the girls’ brother will want to play on that rocking horse…even though…we have another…perfectly…good…one. One was an heirloom, the other a piece of plastic junk. I think you know which one we kept. And once it’s done its duty, we might keep it like my mother kept ours. Or better, we’ll pass it along to my brother for, well, Someday, when he has kids.

Sure, I might *need* some information on dinner parties one day, but the internet it perfect for filling that need. Or better yet, I’ll get on the phone and call my mother. Imagine talking to someone for advice! Or going to the playground to use toys! Or using the perfectly good leather footrest we own!